Agatha Harkness: Fall of the Coven

by Sara Shepard

When Agatha Harkness finds herself yanked out of her mysterious past and plopped in a modern-day high school, the race is on to find the key to saving her coven while discovering first love and battling an ancient foe.

Agatha Harkness is a powerful witch stuck living amongst an untalented group of witches in 1690s Salem, Massachusetts. That’s all right—the dreary coven meetings and fake herbal potions will all be worth it once she finally gets her hands on one of the most magical artifacts in the Darkhold, a book of extraordinary power. But just as it’s within her grasp, disaster strikes the coven! 

Agatha is about to reluctantly save the day when she is rebuffed by the nosy, stuck-up Martha. Now, thanks to the interference, Martha, Agatha, and the Darkhold have been unceremoniously dropped in one of the most terrifying locations a witch has ever encountered—modern-day high school.

Armed with just her smarts and her spells, Agatha embarks on a quest to recover the Darkhold and an incognito Martha. Along the way, she encounters a meddlesome crow, a potential first crush, and a new coven. She almost starts to feel like she’s found her home, until Martha returns from the shadows—this time with dire consequences.

Genres: Fantasy, Young Adult, Audiobook, Marvel, Supernatural, Magic

348 pages, Kindle Edition

Published May 5, 2026

About the author

Sara Shepard graduated from NYU and has an MFA from Brooklyn College. She has lived in New York City, Brooklyn, Tucson, Arizona, Philadelphia, and now lives in Pittsburgh, PA. Sara's Pretty Little Liars novels were inspired by her upbringing in Philadelphia's Main Line.

Reviews

[Kam · Rating 1 out of 5]

Asked the author is the character would remain a lesbian. I was told yes. that was completely a lie. lesbians have very little representation in media as it is, so to take a canonically lesbian character and make her straight is irresponsible and disgusting.

[Caitlyn M · Rating 1 out of 5]

Stripping a lesbian character of their queerness is unacceptable. Waste of trees to print this pile of garbage

[Vanessa · Rating 1 out of 5]

How you sign up to write a book about a well loved character and then not actually do any research is beyond me. AGATHA LOVES WOMEN!

[Kaci May-Cannon · Rating 3 out of 5]

2.5!

#NOTMYAGATHA! this would’ve been loads more enjoyable if it weren’t tied to marvel because who was that??? i guess comics agatha is less villainous but then it’s just like okay so she’s just a basic witch looking for the darkhold….

writing was clunky and repetitive at times but the story was interesting enough to hook me even if the reveal was kind of obvious

edit: adding that obviously I'm biased bc of lesbianism (and I'm accepting the fact that maybe Agatha's sexuality is a bit more fluid in the comics) but the "romantic subplot" was boring and unnecessary... who cares about west

[Melimond · Rating 1 out of 5]

The author erased Agatha’s identity and sexuality turning her into a straight woman, even when she gave fans a hit of Agatha being sapphic 🫩🫩

[Leah · Rating 1 out of 5]

DNF @ chapter 5

[Kayla Coker · Rating 3 out of 5]

I can’t rate it higher, I wanted to, but I really was so disappointed. I’m upset that there was so much whiplash with Agatha Harkness as a character, you saw glimpses, but it didn’t feel like her. If was disappointing that her love interest was a guy and the trope is typical of a YA novel, but I think it’s doing a disservice to her in general. I think the book’s premise could’ve done well without a Marvel tie in, and maybe I set too high standards for this book because Agatha Harkness is one of if not my favorite character.

Also, I predicted who would be the big bad.

It was an okay read, I’ll probably add it to my shelf because I love Agatha Harkness so much, but I am really conflicted about it.

[Sarah Pineda · Rating 3 out of 5]

3.5 it was a fun time! Not the Agatha I know and love but fun. Really took off in the second half.

[Bob McBob the Farmer · Rating 4 out of 5]

Despite popular opinion, I really enjoyed this book! Like all Sara Shepard books, it was incredibly readable and addicting. I was on the edge of my seat the whole time. Was it the best written book of hers? By all means no. There were plot holes and details that should’ve been expanded upon more. For example, who are these sources that told Agatha where the Darkhold was? Despite this, I really enjoyed all the characters. The whole Martha chase was really clever and well executed. All of the coven members we meet are so sweet. The only issue character wise I had was with West. I had no clue before reading this book who Agatha Harkness was. I came into this book as a huge Sara Shepard fan. Looking at reviews, I was shocked to find out that in all other pieces of media she’s depicted as lesbian! In the book, she has a major crush on a guy and kisses him. This totally threw me for a loop and, quite honestly, shocked me. Sara Shepard has written so many LGBTQIA+ characters, including in this very book with Evan, that it’s quite shocking to me that she “straight washed” this lesbian icon. To all of the people saying Sara Shepard’s a homophobe, you clearly haven’t read this book nor any of her others. So many of her characters are gay. Not only that, they’re great representation! Evan in this book, Emily Fields in Pretty Little Liars, Jasmine Walters-Diaz in Influence, need I go on? She was one of the first authors in the early 2000s to have a positive lesbian character in a young adult book series, Emily Fields. Yes, it’s a shame that Agatha is not a sapphic icon here, however don’t discount this book because of that. To be totally truthful, knowing Disney I wouldn’t be surprised if there were something more going on here. We know that Sara Shepard intended on making Agatha a lesbian. Who says that an editor or higher up made the decision for her that Agatha be straight? Just putting that out there. If you haven’t read this book, please don’t discount it just for the lack of representation. Please trust me when I say one book doesn’t mean that hundreds of thousands of other books with LGBTQIA+ representation won’t be published. They are published every day. Not just for adults but young adults, middle grade, and picture forms as well. This is a really fun, intriguing read that I think shows great depth of this beloved character. Mistakes happen, we just need to roll with the punches and move on from them.

[Cass · Rating 2 out of 5]

I think I knew I wouldn't like this book when all the posts started coming out about Agatha being straight but as a huge MCU Agatha fan and Marvel Comics Agatha fan, I thought I owed it to the character to give this book a fair shot, especially since I heard the author told at least one fan that Agatha would be queer.

This book was a mess. The ideas were there and I did like the 2025 coven and the idea of teenage Agatha in a 2025 boarding school but the execution missed the mark.

What was the reason for Agatha's age being the comic accurate thousands of years old? Despite her appearance shifting, she was still fully an adult while her love interest was a minor. That is unacceptable to me. It's also confusing because in MCU canon Agatha would be 16 in 1691, the year the story starts, so why would comic canon age be used when she's meant to look like a teenager?

The love interest was another issue. West was so boring (and a man, but still) and I wish the witchy-ness he had could've been explored further because he just fell flat.

The only "clue" to Agatha not being straight was her randomly saying women in previous covens were hot. That does not make her queer and even if it did it's not enough to call her canonically queer in this story.

I don't regret reading this as hopefully there will be less uninformed review bombing but i do wish it had been better story with no weird age stuff.

1.5 stars rounded up to 2 stars.

[Elena Enns · Rating 1 out of 5]

Okay, so obviously this isn’t a tie in with the MCU. Okay, got that over with. But, even divorcing it from the Comic Universe - what the fuck was that. This is marketed as 14 and up (so a traditional YA teen novel) but it honestly reads way younger than that. Agatha is completely unlike her comic self, like almost laughably so. Additionally, the author seems to pick and choose when she knows or doesn’t know things from the modern age - but then at the beginning of the book when she is in pre-trials Salem, she talks like she belongs in the 2020s. I guess it was an easy read and entertaining? But not really enjoyable.

Edit: NOT TO MENTION, she talks about Silver Surfer and another dude I can’t remember. I’m pretty sure they wouldn’t have been alive when she supposedly is (considering in 1691 she said she is hundreds of years old, and only travels back in time not forward). So make it make sense. Also why the fuck was Dr Strange randomly there? Literally no point. Make it make sense.

[Alexander Gonzalez · Rating 4 out of 5]

This was such a fun read. Going in, I had Agatha so tied to her darker, more adult-focused version from the Marvel Studios series, so I was surprised by how much this leaned into a YA/high school energy. The stakes weren’t as gruesome, but it still kept that magical chaos and entertainment factor alive. It honestly felt like Marvel trying to introduce Agatha to a new generation of fans, and it worked for me. The story was easy to fly through, and the whole thing gave me major Hocus Pocus/Disney Channel movie vibes in the best way possible.

[Patrick · Rating 4 out of 5]

Another enjoyable foray into the marvel novel universe. This book does a good job of keeping Agatha’s sarcastic personality, desire for power, and chaos and scaling it into a teenager version of the character. The big villain reveal wasn’t super shocking, but I enjoyed the cameo in this book, and the setting felt right.

[Justin Soderberg · Rating 4 out of 5]

A couple things go into what is fun about the kind of story Agatha Harkness: Fall of the Coven by Sara Shepard is. The first being a new story based in the Marvel Universe, but dealing with a less popular character, on a more street level adventure. The other being that it's a prose novel. I am one that loves my floppy single issue comics, but a wonderful prose story in the world of Marvel Comics is also something special.

Agatha Harkness is a powerful witch stuck living amongst an untalented group of witches in 1690s Salem, Massachusetts. That’s all right—the dreary coven meetings and fake herbal potions will all be worth it once she finally gets her hands on one of the most magical artifacts in existence: the Darkhold, a book of extraordinary power. But just as it’s within her grasp, disaster strikes the coven!

Agatha is about to reluctantly save the day when she is rebuffed by the nosy, stuck-up Martha. Now, thanks to the interference, Martha, Agatha, and the Darkhold have been unceremoniously dropped in one of the most terrifying locations a witch has ever encountered—modern-day high school.

Armed with just her smarts and her spells, Agatha embarks on a quest to recover the Darkhold and an incognito Martha. Along the way, she encounters a meddlesome crow, a potential first crush, and a new coven. She almost starts to feel like she’s found her home, until Martha returns from the shadows—this time with dire consequences.

Outside of reading a few comics featuring Agatha Harkness over the years, the most I have enjoyed the character was in Agatha All Along on Disney+, which was wonderfully portrayed by Kathryn Hahn. So jumping into a story featuring the powerful witch wasn't at the top of my list, but knew I wanted to see what happens when thrown into a unique situation, attending school in disguise. Agatha Harkness: Fall of the Coven has all the makings for the fish-out-of-water romp that you'd expect in a time traveling coming-of-age tale.

Agatha Harkness: Fall of the Coven has all the drama you'd also expect in a story based at a private high school. What makes it more unique is the school is located in Salem, Massachusetts, famous for its witch trials and happens to be the place Harkness was residing back in the 1690s. This presents something more than you'd see high school dramas have with the students staying on campus, allowing the story to continue smoothly.

Shepard not only crafts a great Marvel Comics story that doesn't have to rely on the big characters to carry the story, only mentioning a few off hand to allow us to feel present in the Universe we all love. We get to follow Agatha on a search of the Darkhold, but in a way that is less dark and grim, but more eye-opening and dramatic. Agatha Harkness: Fall of the Coven is a mystery at its core and seems like a moment of growth for the villainous character.

Yes, Agatha has a love interest in Agatha Harkness: Fall of the Coven that plays heavily in the story and while it is sad to see the creative team move this story in a different direction, the love interest being male, the overall story was fun enough that I had to try and see why they made this decision. In the end it didn't make sense why change from current character development that is taking place outside this story, but I will not try and tell myself I know why these decisions are made.

Agatha Harkness: Fall of the Coven hit the mark for me on a few levels, a growing moment for Agatha, as well as a being wonderful prose story set inside the Marvel Universe. Sara Shepard crafts a time traveling, high school drama mystery where that doesn't require big Marvel characters for an enjoyable adventure. While some decisions were made that we might disagree with, overall I am glad I went on this adventure with Agatha and hope there is a sequel in the works.

Agatha Harkness: Fall of the Coven is available at bookstores everywhere from Random House. The audiobook, narrated by Kristen DiMercurio, is available at Libro.fm!

[Seviryn Hemlock · Rating 2 out of 5]

This reads like a Wednesday Fan Fic that Netflix denied so the author had to rewrite it to have Marvel Elements.

The story follows Alice/Agatha who is canonically CENTURIES old, and will constantly remind you of that fact, as she faces being stuck in a high school. Why is this a bad thing? well the author also wrote in a straight romance between Alice/Agatha (centuries old) and a random high school boy who can't be more than 17 years old. There were some forgivable things in this book once you realize it reads like a Netflix Rejected Plot, but making the beloved titular character a straight p*dophile? Sorry that's not going to land well.

I'm so glad I got this from the Library instead of paying for it. At least I funded something actually worth the money.

[Christopher Reed · Rating 5 out of 5]

Fantastic novel! Perfect for spooky season!

[Kerri · Rating 2 out of 5]

I want to start this by saying that I’m a huge Agatha Harkness fan. This book is clearly not meant to be MCU canon, but it DOES seem to have connections to the comic books. In the comic books, Agatha is not canonically a lesbian. So, if this is in fact comic canon, then Agatha not being a lesbian is accurate. I don’t know what Marvel’s plan is for the character going forward, but it seems they’re sort of keeping the MCU and comic versions separate. Regardless, the love story was unnecessary.

Aside from that, this book had issues. First, Agatha was supposed to be an adult who ended up in teenage form. At no point while reading this did Agatha feel like a an adult. She felt like a teenager. That being said, why is a hundreds of year old witch falling for a teenager? Why are we doing this in 2026? Despite that, this didn’t read as a YA novel, but as a middle grade tbh.

The timeline of her explaining that she kept going back in time but never forward in time never explains when she’s actually traveling from. She doesn’t know the word for “yellow?” How did she pay to attend this school? They keep bringing it up but then it’s never resolved. If she said “1691” one more time I was going to hurl the book across the room.

I also don’t even actually understand the point of this book. This could have been about any witch. There was nothing “Agatha” about this character. I don’t know who this character was. She was just sort of fine and was good but acted like she wasn’t. I don’t know. I wish someone who understood the character would have written this and I also wish it would have been something that could have been MCU canon and a book that would have mattered.

On the plus side, it was a super quick and easy read, which was good because if it was a slog I probably would have dnfed it

[Samantha · Rating 4 out of 5]

Agatha Harkness is one of the few MCU characters who I still have an interest in these days, and this reimagining of her story is fun and very much in the spirit of the original story.

Marvel of course gets the credit for the premise of this, but Shepard did a notably good job of translating the story into YA fiction, loading up on atmosphere, sense of place, and cute humor about what a witch from 17th century Salem might make of modern high school.

This is, I suppose, a boarding school novel at heart, and a good one. The mystery is clever and intriguing (even if the reveal of who the villain is feels a bit obvious), and the setting is evocatively rendered.

If there’s a criticism that needs to be made of this, it’s the break from canon and straightwashing of Agatha, who has always been a queer character. Romance of any kind isn’t a big part of this story (thankfully for readers like me who aren’t into this particular aspect of YA fiction) but stripping a character of queer identity feels harmful, and like a violation of canon that has a lot more meaning than changing other minor details of the story.

*I received an ARC of this book in exchange for an honest review.*

[ElsaMakotoRenge · Rating 5 out of 5]

I had great fun reading this, though I wish Rio made an appearance lol. Also, Ivy was right there and she and Agatha seemed like the mad-banter sort of flirty? West was fine, though I do think that was an odd choice tbh. I really don’t think the author is homophobic considering 1)Evan and Simon exist literally IN THIS BOOK and 2)the vibes between Ivy and Agatha haha. Maybe this particular Agatha variant thought she was bi for awhile before realizing she was lesbian later on or something (hence her bracelet we saw briefly in AAA), who knows.

Anyways, I wouldn’t let the West thing prevent you from picking up this book! The academy was giving Wednesday vibes, too, which i found quite entertaining. Dr Strange makes a brief appearance and Agatha’s annoyance with Wanda also exists here LOL. 4.5 stars rounded up, imma docking a half star for the lack of Rio, I reallyyyy wanted to see Rio again!

[Megz · Rating 4 out of 5]

I surprised myself by how much I loved reading this book, I usually don’t love Marvel that much, but this I love.
I was just disappointed in the ending, it’s so cliche who the Martha was and I feel like the whole relationship between her and her bff just went down the drain after that. Like wtf. But yeah, great storyline!

[Cecilia Rodriguez · Rating 4 out of 5]

Beginning in the 1690’s in Salem Massachusetts, and narrated by Agatha Harkness, when her coven is threatened, Agatha is dismissive.
She is focused on finding the Darkhold, a powerful spell book.
Martha, a member of Agatha’s coven steals the Darkhold and escapes through a magical portal.


This story a lot better than the Disney + series: Agatha all along.

Also references: Doctor Strange and Scarlett Witch

[Corinne’s Chapter Chatter · Rating 3 out of 5]

Okay but… how did this not hit for me?? 😅

I went back and forth on grabbing this complimentary ALC from PRH Audio because I needed something quick, and while I’m familiar with this character from the TV show (and liked her there), this version felt like a completely different person. Maybe that’s on me for not having the full comic/book backstory, so I tried to set comparisons aside and just take the story as-is.

Unfortunately… I was bored. 😬 The writing never fully pulled me in, even in audio format, which usually helps me stay engaged. I kept waiting for that moment where it would click, but it just never came. And then I realized this was written by Sara Shepard?! I genuinely double-checked because I couldn’t believe it. The same author who gave us PLL? I’m still confused.

It’s especially disappointing because, from what I’ve since learned, this character is supposed to be a strong, sapphic powerhouse—and that just didn’t translate here for me at all. That depth and presence felt missing, which made it harder to connect or stay invested.

On a positive note, Kristen DiMercurio did a fantastic job with the narration. Her performance added personality and energy that the story itself lacked for me, and honestly, she’s the reason this lands at 3⭐️ instead of lower.

Overall, this one just wasn’t for me—and that’s a bummer because it had so much potential.

I am thankful to have received a complimentary ALC or eARC from via NetGalley, which gave me the opportunity to share my voluntary thoughts.

[Julie · Rating 2 out of 5]

I was so excited to find an Agatha prequel read by one of my favorite audiobook narrators, Kristen DiMercurio. And while Kristen did a fantastic job, the story itself really missed the mark. It wasn’t nearly gay enough! What were they thinking pairing thousand-year-old Agatha with a boring, zero personality, completely age-inappropriate teenage boy she had zero chemistry with? Especially after the TV show gave us one of the best sapphic couples of all time with Agatha and Rio. Someone definitely didn’t understand their audience with that choice.

Agatha also wasn’t, well, Agatha. She even comments at one point that she isn’t acting like herself! It’s like the author has never read the comics or watched the show. For one thing, Agatha was SO naive and gullible. Martha’s identity was blatantly obvious from the moment the character was introduced. Even when Agatha’s smacked in the face with clear clues, and even after the identity is finally revealed, she’s remains baffled. A boiled potato would be quicker on the uptake! Agatha also acted like an acceptance-obsessed tween, worrying about making friends instead of focusing on finding the Darkhold.

If this had ended with Agatha stealing Martha’s powers or doing something awesome with the Darkhold, at least that might have been cool. But nothing of consequence that shapes who Agatha eventually becomes actually happens. So this really feels like a throwaway.

The two stars if for the story itself. Kristen DiMercurio’s narration gets all the stars (it’s the only reason I didn’t DNF).

[Kai · Rating 1 out of 5]

First off i see a lot of reviews talking about her being a lesbian and people are wrong as she is bi for the marvel series not lesbian, please get that right. The thing that pissed me off is that this character is nothing like the original comic or the tv series vision this is once again a recreation of the character which is horrible and boring. I have been a lover of agatha since the fantastic four nanny days and god it's horrible how much marvel has changed her from the powerful witch and nanny and trainer of the scarlet witch to a horrible joke bi witch of bad comedy was all made for the show. I love how people act like they know the character when the witch has been around for a long time and people only love her for the dumb show instead of the real character she was from the original comics days. She was a nanny for the fantastic four, a mentor for the scarlet witch and a mother and grandmother and lead of salem. This book was once again horrible YA story of her so called youth that does not flow anywhere in her real story, horrible add on to her history.

[Faith Healy · Rating 2 out of 5]

I love Agatha. One of my favorite characters the MCU introduced me to. I was so excited to find out about this book. I did see the one-star reviews about the queer erasersure, but sexuality is a spectrum I was willing to give it a chance. I should have not. First all the random boy love interest is boring. He has no personality. Other than being compared to a dog there is no reason for Agatha to like him. Also we setup that there are mutants and the Scarlet Witch in the world , but none of the coven have powers. So much time was wasted on scenes of the useless male interest, we didn't get more than 3 scenes of bounding with the modern coven and yet somehow made to believe Agatha has learned the power of friendship. For a book about a coven this was so magically lacking. All the "subtle" hints were so heavy handed like Dr Novice's real identity. Also so confused about the Firestar inclusion and vision. I like the characterization of Agatha and nothing else. I did listen to audiobook and that was fun and only reason for 2 stars.

[Maria · Rating 4 out of 5]

This was so much fun!

One of the things I’ve always loved about Sara Shepard’s writing is how effortless it is to read. The chapters are short, the pacing is quick, and before you know it, you’ve flown through another few chapters because it’s impossible to stop.

I had a great time with Agatha and the rest of the characters. I know some people weren’t happy that this version of Agatha differed from the original Marvel version, but that honestly didn’t bother me. I was able to appreciate this as its own story, and I thought it worked really well.

I don’t know if this is meant to be a series, but I really hope it is because I’d happily read more Agatha Harkness books by Sara Shepard. This was exactly the kind of fun, fast paced fantasy I was in the mood for and it did not disappoint.

[Shelley · Rating 3 out of 5]

I mostly read this out of curiosity. Agatha hops through time looking for the Darkhold, but has only even been able to go into the past (before 1700). When she's in Salem 1691, she figures out where it is but so does another witch, who spirits all three to Salem 2025. It's not like any Agatha I've read in comics or watched on TV, and somehow she has spells to do math and science and catch her up on basically everything she needs to know about the 300 years she missed? Also, she has a crush on a boy. :( I mostly wanted to see how it got resolved, but the resolution basically kept her changing into a modern teen and someone even less like Agatha than she began as.

[Shantal MC · Rating 3 out of 5]

This was sadly not what I was expecting. I know it’s aimed at a younger audience, and as a YA fantasy it works fine, but they totally changed the Agatha we got to know and love in WandaVision and Agatha All Along. It doesn’t feel like her at all.

For teenagers, it’s probably an enjoyable read, but for fans who care about character integrity, it’s disappointing. Agatha’s personality and even parts of her identity were altered, and that takes away what made her unique. Respecting the character matters, especially when moving her across mediums.

Not a terrible book, but definitely not the Agatha I was hoping for.

[Rafael Andrade · Rating 4 out of 5]

The book is aimed at a younger readership and successfully achieves its goal. However, fans of Agatha, who may be older than the intended audience, might not find the book engaging. In the comics, Agatha is depicted as straight, while in the show, she identifies as a lesbian. I don't understand the controversy surrounding her sexual orientation in this book.

[Eduardo Wongvalle❄ · Rating 2 out of 5]

I wish I could cast a spell to go back in time and never have purchased this book. The worst part, after the identity back stabbing, when you have Agatha compare West to a modern movie like Doctor DoLittle, as of that would be a reference in her mind. Not even makes sense with the modern day spell she was using to “get with the times” or whatever. Just a big sigh..